S E L K N I l ' K D I U . M dlVBRIDUM) (il'iANDK Rvhh J.
A hybrid obtained from Sclc-niiicdiiira Uoczlii, Relib. f., k
pl.-ini ; t)ic sworil-slinped Icnves frequently measure from 24 10 30
»•itli yd low ish .green veins ; llic lower (¡no bro.ider and witli paler
veins, tlic rcroaincicr of a briglit rosy-pink shade. The lip is pale
iviih <Iecp rose, Slamino.le pale yello«', frinccil vi'llli blackish hnirs
S Et. ID XI ran IJ11 {liybriiiiim) CiiUNnE, Rchb. f. in Card. Ch
Cvi'Hir-h;r.iii.v Ch)'bri(lun>) ckANnK. Rclilx f. in Ganl. Chi
liK. 14(5 ; Veitdi Man. Oreh, l'I., pt. 4, p. 104, « ith fig-
This line hybrid was raised by Mr. Seden i
plant nowcrcd for the fiii<t time in 1ÌS81, It is, perhnp« il>c
llimigh the coloiir, especially of the peljiK more nearly ;ippr<
Cy]>ripe(liiim grande in ¡¡ardcns, bill I bcliovo this Tropical
ovnrj' « ith iixilc placemalion. in this rciiioct it cxa(
three gctierv niny pnibably be reganled as i-clainlng the ov.irl
pediiini piojKr, » liich has one-colled ov,%ry vvilh parieCnl pla(
Oemm /'/.wMnim, and Ihe name, which is ado|>tcd by Dcsbr
Ijenerilly in garden.^, ns Ihe group is ilinroiighly natii'ml one
the pollen of S. caudaUnn, Uchb. f. It lia.s the vigorous hahil of the nmthrr
ind Ihe scipes nttaiii a yard in height. The ui>|Kr sepnl is yellowish »hile,
(wuils arc from 12 10 15 Inches long, I lie b.T.siLir ¡wriion i'cllowisli viih green
cd wilh brown in front, paler bcliliKl ; the infolded lobes ii-or>-.>hitc, spotted
iSSi, p. 4S« (in note): Dcsbok Monofr, Crypripwl., p. 147, «¡th fig,; Kolfe
1881, p. 4fi2 ( id., Oct. J 4, 1KS2, p. 4RR ; lierhn Ciart. Zeit., 18S4. ,,p. 497, 49S,
iron., Oct 1,
cnt of Messi^ James Veilch & Soní, of Chelsea. The en
ns effected in 1875, ami the
•t robusl Sclen¡i)eiliiini hybrid know'n. The flmiers are
ably iniermcili.ite in 5ba|jc,
s Ihat of Ihc molher ¡)lnnt, of «hich il II.-LS also I|uile Ihc
t. It ¡5 generally known a«
-ican pruup should relain Ihe generic narae Selenipcdini
hameter of an ancestral con.lition of ihe oíder Nolbiii« of tWs\¡nd"is''sécn''"n CypX
tion, as m thc i-craainder of tlic orden Selciii]>cdiuin is cnn^iilered a dislinct geiius iii Ihc
1..S r¡ üro/v.lhm, may well be also .Klopled
THIS woll-known liyhrid is of stately habit and very free growing-. It is now ilioroug-iily represented in collections on
accniint of its ample, shining, anil hanilsame foliage ami free-blooming qualities. After being raised it soon became a
freneral favourite ;^v c n those amateurs whose tastes lio not ineJine them to cultivate thc genus extensively, cannot
resist the charm of this noble plant, with its gigantic, many-flowered in florescences, the inilividual Howcrs of which arc
very persistent, and arc developed from the apex of thc raceme for at least three months from their commencement to
bloom.
Thc name "grande" is a singularly appropriate one. Thc late Prof, Dr. II. G. Reichenbach was most happy in
thc application of names, thoroughly suited and descriptive of thc plants he descrilwl. Cypripcdium grantle was raised
by Mcs.srs, J. Veitch .K; Sons, Chelsea, London, and is one of their best hybrids. It was circulatcd for commcrcc in
1881, and described by I'rof. Reichenbach in thc Gardciwn Chronkh of April 9 of that year as fol lows•• A cro.ss
between S. Roczlii and S. caudatum. Since it is so exceedingly vigorous and cjuick growing (the fertilisation look place
m 1875), there can be no doubt it is descended, not from gcnt:ine caudatum, but from thc so-callcd oiudntum roseum
(War-scewiczii, Rchb. f.), which is so easily understood by its far stronger peduncle, far larger shining fiowcrs, wilh a
very dark, much wider lip, and its dark broad leaves. Our novelty has even broader and darker leaves still. The
peduncle is very strong, and though when first flowering it bore only one flower, there can be no doubt of its improvement
next year. We might call thc grand flower an enlarged edition of S. Ilartwegii, had it not both the sepals of
oblong lanceolate shape, surpassing thc li|j—a feature by which it differs from all the group of ilartwegii. The colours
are those of the specics of that group. There are few hybrids which have given me so much pleasure as this, since I
expect it must develop by-anil-bye into an even more superb thing, justifying its name."
The characters of each parent are well brought out in the offspring, foliage and blossom being as nearly as
possible intermediate. It must not be inferred that this hybrid is as beautiful as the pollen parent S. c.Cudatum, but it
has the great merit of being a vciy free grower, and also of being immensely sui)crior to the seed parent, S. Roezlii.
affinity is with thc licautiful S. nitidissimum, raised by Norman C. Cookson, Hscj.
yel'o«'loam, peat, and a small quantity of sphagnum moss, with a little
The soil best suited for its cultiva
grown in thc warm house, and receive an abundance of water when growing.
charcoal or bones mi.v:cd. It should be
S. Roezlii (the female parent) is a terrestrial species, growing in hot, swampy places, and during the rainy season is often
half submerged. S. caudatum, however, is epiphytic, never being found except on trees. The latter species comes from
Central America, and S, Roezlii is found in Ecuador, Peru, and Columbia; and well we remember Roezl telling us that
his Selenipedium grows by tens of thousands by the side of the road leading along thc River Cauca from Buenaventura
upwards in thc same manner as our bullrushes grow in the Kent ditches.
Our plale was taken from ,1 planl in Ihe possession of VV, S. Kimb.nll, Esq., Rochester, .\e>v Vork.